Reviewed By Joelcy Kay

Editor & Curator | Edge of Humanity Magazine

Curator | NO MIDDLEMAN ART GALLERY

Under A Grudging Sun By Alex Webb depicts Haiti in the late 80s.

It is a dramatic; and yet raw contrast of thick colors and the Haitian people’s dark complexion, which is in many images, depicted as a silhouette.

My eyes wander endless through these images that seem to recycle the stories every inch of the way. Images of daily life are organic, full of truth and saturated by vibrant colors.

Most images have landscape orientation and occupy 1/3 of the page, there are also many diptychs, all depicting scenes of daily life where color and silhouette mimic waves, moving in and out of sand with an enchanting rhythm.

You can feel the tension in the images showing scenes of social injustice/stability, violence, dead bodies, suffering and poverty, as if the deep colors and shadows were heating up.

My favorites:

The image on page 19 has a motion picture feel, as a little guy (child) in the middle of the image takes a pick looking at the photographer.

On Page 29 patterns meet daily life in an artistic depiction of a (almost) silhouette of a man wearing a hat. In the background men labor on top of a wood roof. The patterns on the roof and window run horizontally while the ones on the walls and fence run vertically. It looks like a painting.

On page 75 the eyes of the man and woman standing in front of a blue and pink wall tells the story of their lives in a very emotional portrait.

Under a Grudging Sun By Alex Webb is a must have for people interested in social issues, history and the Caribbean. For the monochrome buffs go ahead and play dangerously, you will not be disappointed. And for the photography book collector this book is a must have.

For book specifics see Amazon.com below

Under a Grudging Sun: Photographs from Haiti Libere 1986-1988

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Edge of Humanity Magazine

Edge of Humanity Magazine’s curator is now reviewing photo books.

Joelcy Kay (the curator of Edge of Humanity Magazine and the NO MIDDLEMAN ART GALLERY) has written many reviews and now she is available to write yours.

Here are some of Joelcy’s book recommendations:

Humboldt Sunsets By Matthew Busse Photography Book Recommendation By Edge of Humanity Magazine

Blood and Honey A Balkan War JournalBy Ron HavivPhotography Book Recommendation By Edge of Humanity Magazine

BrazilBy Ralph GibsonPhotography Book Recommendation By Edge of Humanity Magazine

Photography Book Recommendations By Edge Of Humanity Magazine are published on the Edge of Humanity Magazine and at the NO MIDDLEMAN ART GALLERY Visual ART Blog. For more information on this service please email Joelcy at jo@edgeofhumanity.com .